The fact he was charged with misdemeanor assault and not battery or attempted murder pretty much rules out any serious altercation. You can get 6 broken ribs by falling in the wrong place, tbh... that's half the ribs on one side of your body.
This guy was clearly a guy Paul knew (neighbors), so it's not like he tried to break in or anything... frankly, based on the charges alone it looks like a argument gone horribly wrong.
Sucks for Paul, tbh, hope he has a speedy recovery. The $7500 bail sounds reasonable, but the guy eventually will likely be on the hook for way more if Paul files a civil suit.